1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to spine immobilizers and particularly to spine immobilizers adapted to be fitted to an injured person before the person is moved from an accident site.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Immobilization of a person prior to removal from an accident site is important to prevent possible injury to the spine or aggravation of injuries already suffered. An unwieldy wooden back board has been used for years for this purpose but the device is impractical to fit to a person still located in an accident vehicle. More recently, devices have been developed which can be fitted and strapped to the accident victim prior to removal of the victim from the vehicle. One such device is characterized by a combination of cushioning foam material, an overlying sheet of solid plastic material, a protective cover of nylon fabric, and an integral or insertable longitudinal stiffener in the spine area. Except for the single stiffener this device is quite flexible. There is considerable evidence indicating that resistance to longitudinal bending should be present throughout a spine immobilizer.
Another device of the prior art does not provide immobilization of the head of an accident victim and requires a separate cervical collar for this purpose.
Yet another device of the prior art is laterally flexible for fitting about the injured person, and is rendered longitudinally stiff by a plurality of elongated stiffeners individually fitted within sleeves stitched into the otherwise flexible material of the device.
The primary objection to these and other spine immobilizers presently available for emergency use is their relatively high cost. Both the materials used and the manner of their fabrication raise the costs to the point that ambulances and similar emergency vehicles may have only one of the devices on hand, posing a serious problem when an accident involves more than one person.